‘Dancing Queen’ and Diverse Degrees: College of Information Science Celebrates Fall 2025 Convocation
Photo by Michael McKisson.
It began with a keytar solo.
In a convocation ceremony that included a keynote address unlike any other, the University of Arizona’s College of Information Science sent off its Summer, Fall and Winter 2025 graduating classes with a burst of music, humor and heart. Held in the Grand Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center on December 18, the College of Information Science Fall 2025 Convocation marked more than just a milestone for the college’s newest graduates, it represented the continuing evolution of the college itself.
Photo by University of Arizona BioCommunications.
A New Chapter for a Growing College
The graduation ceremony was the first held since the College of Applied Science and Technology formally integrated into the College of Information Science on July 1, 2025. With that merger, the college now spans 12 active degree programs, more than 3,200 students, and degrees from applied computing to library and information science. As Interim Dean Catherine Brooks noted in her opening remarks, “We are a college of one,” united in mission but expansive in scope.
Brooks encouraged graduates to carry forward the college’s ethos of collaboration, curiosity and innovation. “We are interconnected,” she said, “and your education has equipped you to build the future with integrity and vision.”
Assistant Professor Sarah Bratt sings and plays the keytar as part of her keynote address at the College of Information Science Fall 2025 Convocation.
Photo by University of Arizona BioCommunications.
Keytar, Chords and the Ethics of Information: A Keynote to Remember
Convocation keynote addresses are often solemn, even poetic. Assistant Professor Sarah Bratt’s was… something else entirely.
When she took the stage, Dr. Bratt did not begin with a quote or an anecdote. She pulled out a keytar.
Then she played intros for Van Halen’s “Jump” and A-ha’s “Take On Me” before launching into a parody of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” reimagined as a love song to the graduates, backed by a shaking tambourine courtesy of Interim Dean Brooks. “You are a graduate, Smartie pants, Class of ’25!” she sang, as the ballroom erupted in applause. Perhaps Dr. Bratt had misunderstood “keynote” as “keytar,” and the audience was the better for it…
Interim Dean Catherine Brooks plays backup tambourine during Assistant Professor Sarah Bratt's keynote address, as emcee, Associate Dean for Graduate Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Practice Diana Daly looks on.
Photo by University of Arizona BioCommunications.
But once the music faded, Dr. Bratt delivered a memorable address that blended performance art with sharp insight. She reminded students that information systems are not inevitable—they are human-made, fragile and deeply consequential.
She told the story of the Apollo 11 lunar landing tapes, lost and overwritten due to storage shortages. She recounted the existence of the Norwegian seed vault, preserving biodiversity against catastrophe, and the revival of the black-footed ferret via frozen tissue samples. These stories, she said, exemplify how data curation can literally save history—and life itself.
“You are in demand precisely because data is messy,” Dr. Bratt declared. “People get into situationships with their databases and cannot get out.”
Her message was funny, poignant and deeply human. Technology, she reminded the audience, is never separate from the people who design and depend on it. “We are entangled with our phones, with our information systems,” she said. “And when we recognize the sociotechnical nature of our world, we can design better ones.”
She charged graduates to be guardians of truth, custodians of meaningful knowledge in an age of disinformation and distraction.
Then, flashing a final grin toward the crowd, she closed: “You are the soul of the college, Class of 2025, and I, the faculty, staff and the keytar are so proud of you. Congratulations and rock on Class of 2025!”
Photo by University of Arizona BioCommunications.
Student Speeches: From Tirupati to Tucson and Beyond
Master of Science in Data Science graduate Rajitha Reddy Tiruthani, named an Outstanding Master’s Student, captured hearts as the graduate student speaker when she described her journey from Tirupati, India, to Tucson. Through environmental analytics and immersive tech projects, she found purpose and connection. “This was a place where ideas were encouraged,” she said. “Through research, learning and shared challenges, I discovered the power of community.”
Bachelor of Science in Information Science graduate Carolyn Zhao, an Outstanding Senior Award recipient and soon-to-be health informatics analyst, offered a message of adaptation and shared purpose in her speech on behalf of undergraduate students. “Regardless of our specific majors,” she said, “we all learned how to think critically about information, technology and people. Most of all, we’ve developed the ability to adapt and make meaningful impacts in an ever-changing world.”
Interim Dean Catherine Brooks poses with a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science graduate at Fall 2025 Convocation.
Photo by University of Arizona BioCommunications.
By the Numbers: A Record-Breaking Milestone
The Fall 2025 Convocation celebrated 140 participating master’s students—68 via livestream and 72 in person, hooded by Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Associate Professor Jamie A. Lee—graduating from the Master of Science in Cyber and Information Operations, Master of Science in Data Science, Master of Science in Information Science and Master of Arts in Library and Information Science.
Seventy-seven participating undergraduate students—19 via livestream and 58 in person—hailed from an array of bachelor’s degrees: Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Computing, Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations, Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development, Bachelor of Arts in Games and Behavior, Bachelor of Science in Information Science, Bachelor of Arts in Information Science and Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Information Science and eSociety, as well as the Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Science (Administration of Justice), Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood, Bachelor of Arts in Government and Public Service, Bachelor of Applied Science in Justice and Global Security, and Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership and Regional Commerce. “For short, we’ll just call this part of the program The Bachelor,” joked ceremony emcee Diana Daly, associate dean for graduate academic affairs and associate professor of practice.
In all, the graduating class representing Summer, Fall and Winter 2025 graduates included more than 440 master’s and bachelor’s students plus one PhD in Information graduate.
These students now join a growing community of more than 8,000 InfoSci alumni around the world.
Photo by University of Arizona BioCommunications.
Toward a Digital Future, With a Human Touch
As Dr. Daly reminded the audience, “Teaching these amazing minds is an honor and a privilege.” She described the college’s research portfolio, from artificial intelligence and machine learning to digital culture, cybersecurity and gaming, and emphasized that this work supports the college’s central mission: to explore the intersections of people, data and technology.
In other words, this was more than a ceremony. It was a charge—to build, to question and to care.
When the final names were read and the tassels turned, faculty and staff, families and friends, and the Class of 2025 filed out into the warm December sun. There were photos. There were cookies. And in the crowd, a few still hummed the melody of “Dancing Queen.” The moment was light and cheery, but the message endured: the future is not just something we inherit. It’s something we create—with rhythm, with reason and, in the right moment, with a keytar in hand.
View the recorded College of Information Science Fall 2025 Convocation livestream.